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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. land — a country
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. track — a song
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. land — to come down
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. clip — a video
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — steady
  16. track — a path
  17. clip — for paper
  18. pit — a hole
  19. firm — a company
  20. land — ground
  21. track — to keep track
  22. firm — decided
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com